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UPDATE: Kidnapped Anti-Drone Activist Karim Khan Has Been Freed, Says He Was Tortured

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After being seized in the early hours of February 5 by up to 20 men, some wearing police uniforms, anti-drone activist Karim Khan has been released in Pakistan.

Khan’s brother and son were both killed in a drone strike, and he had taken legal action against the Pakistani government for their refusal to investigate their deaths. Before his disappearance, he was due to travel to Europe to speak with Parliament members about the impact of the U.S. drone wars.

Khan told the human rights group, Reprieve, he was taken to a basement cell in an undisclosed location to be interrogated, beaten and tortured. In a statement the group said he "was placed in chains and repeatedly questioned about his investigations into drone strikes, his knowledge of drone strike victims and his work advocating on their behalf."

Despite his ordeal, Khan said he still plans to travel to Europe to meet with parliamentarians. His lawyer, Shahzad Akbar, noted Khan’s seizure "is nothing new in Pakistan... The lesson learned though this experience is that we must always raise our voices. We need to take this stand for each and every person who disappears, it is the only way to force those in power to listen."

Khan criticized the U.S. drone wars in an interview with filmmaker Madiha Tahir for the film, "Wounds of Waziristan," which Democracy Now! recently featured in its entirety. You can watch the show above, or click here.

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